The Bouquet
by runyoubadwolf
Summary: Marichat May Day 16 - Flower: Adrien remembers the moments when he gave Marinette the flowers in her wedding bouquet as Chat Noir.


Adrien's breath caught when Marinette appeared at the end of the isle. She looked exactly like the princess he always knew her to be in the gown she had designed for herself. If he were being honest, she could have worn a potato sack and still have been the most beautiful women he'd ever seen, especially if she was smiling at him like she was then. That smile was one Adrien had only ever seen directed at himself. Every time it appeared on her face he fell more deeply in love with his soon to be wife.

His eyes slid to the bouquet clasped in her delicate hands. She had wanted it to be a surprise. Adrien felt tears well in his eyes as he gazed upon the flowers she'd chosen. To everyone else, the bouquet was probably a confusing mishmash of flowers. Only the two of them knew that Marinette held one of every flower he had brought her as Chat Noir.

He'd first brought her a bundle of daisies not too long after beginning to visit her as Chat. She'd called him her friend and he felt the need to show her how much that word meant to him. Adrien could still remember the smile that bloomed across her face when he'd held the flowers in clawed hands, telling her how much he appreciated her friendship. After that he would bring her a new flower when an opportunity arose.

Sometimes he would bring a single sunflower with him. If he happened to see a florist on his way to Marinette's house he would stop in to pick one up for her. She never minded if it got slightly crumpled in his belt as he finished the trip to her house. Marinette even smiled when he gave her the flowers whose petals had completely blown away. The sunflowers were his way of reminding her how much her friendship meant without voicing it consistently.

She once got suspended for blowing up on Chloe after she'd made snide comments about Chat Noir just being a sidekick and not important to fighting akuma. Right there, in the middle of class, he'd wanted to hug her and tell her how much he appreciated her sticking up for him. But he couldn't, not as Adrien. He had waited until that night to visit her as Chat, explaining that he'd heard what happened. Blue tulips where handed to her as he told her she had his loyalty just as much as Ladybug did. She'd crushed him into a hug, his arms quickly wrapping around her as they'd wanted to do all day.

When his schedule would get too busy and he couldn't visit for a while, he would leave yellow roses on her balcony with a note. He wanted to make sure she knew he wasn't just disappearing on her and that he was okay. He knew she would worry and he didn't want her to do that. The next time Chat would show up he would see the wilting, yellow roses on her nightstand.

He'd gotten her gladioluses when she'd protected him against an akuma. Ladybug was recharging after a failed lucky charm and he was holding off the akuma until she got back. Chat hadn't seen the hit coming, before he knew it he was down. He closed his eyes against the next attack only to hear the sound of clanging metal. When he looked up he saw Marinette with a fierce look in her eyes as she blocked the attack with his baton. He'd told her how much he appreciated the strength she'd shown. He also begged her to never do it again because he'd been absolutely terrified she'd be hurt. It was the first time Marinette had seen him cry.

During a lunch break he'd stopped by with calla lilies. That morning he'd overheard Marinette talking to Alya about how insecure she felt about herself that day. Chloe hadn't helped things when she'd started making comments about Marinette's appearance. He was going to wait until that night to visit but he couldn't let Marinette go on thinking she wasn't absolutely stunning for the rest of the day. Adrien skipped lunch at home to make a quick stop at a flower shop. When he landed with the flowers grasped in his claws, he told Marinette that he'd seen her looking down and wanted to make sure she knew how beautiful she looked. By the time lunch was over and they were back in class, Marinette was smiling again.

A big test was coming up as he searched for flowers that meant good luck. When he'd read that gardenias were good luck, he knew they were perfect. His eyes stopped on a second definition and his heart stuttered. Secret love. Seeing those words made him realized that he did harbor a secret love. He hadn't known when it had happened but he'd fallen in love with Marinette. When he brought her the gardenias, he said they were for good luck. Only he knew about the second meaning.

When he brought her purple lilacs, he didn't tell her what the flowers meant for the first time. The only explanation he gave her was that they reminded him of her. His stomach flipped when she beamed had him. That smile was more beautiful than any flower he'd ever seen, and he'd done a lot of flower research. She didn't need to know that the lilacs were to show he'd realized he'd loved her.

On the night that Chat held out red tulips to Marinette while on her balcony, he thought his heart would beat out of his chest. He'd stumbled through the confession, that he loved her and wanted her to know who he was. There were unshed tears in her eyes, asking him to wait a moment as she got something from her room. Marinette held a single dried rose in her hand when she reemerged. She told him about the weeks ago that she had bought the rose and about how she'd been saving it until she had the courage to tell him that she loved him. Their relationship changed as he enveloped her in her arms, confessions of identity being whispered in both their ears.

He never stopped giving her flowers but those were the ones that began their relationship and those were the ones she had chosen to carry with her as they started their life together. He brushed a thumb over the single rose pinned to his suit jacket, he now knew why she had asked him to wear it. Marinette's eyes followed the motion and when their eyes met, he saw the leashed tears in her eyes matching his own.

To the wedding guests it probably looked as though the couple was getting emotional over an oddly arranged, and not very attractive, bouquet. That didn't matter to them though, those flowers were the start of their forever and both were proud to display that.


End file.
